


Hey Look, Ma

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blind Date, Cat Louis, Cat/Human Hybrids, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Hybrid Louis, M/M, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-09-26 07:31:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17137613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: “I’m so sorry,” a deep voice said.Louis made sure he’d only dropped his hat, reached down to pick it up, and was dusting it off when he finally looked up.“It’s alright...mate…” Louis had seen this man before. He wasgorgeous. He lived somewhere in the area, because Louis would often pass him on the street heading home from the tube or the nearest bus stop.And now, here he was. Standing in all his fluffy, curly haired glory in front of Louis, apologising for nearly bowling him over.“I really am sorry, though. Let me get you a coffee to make up for it?”Or the one where Louis is a hybrid who agrees to go on a blind date with his neighbour's colleague's son the same night he literally runs into his dream man. Surely this isn't going to end well... or is it?





	Hey Look, Ma

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! I'm so excited to have written this fic. It is a slight modification of a prompt found [here](http://c-is-for-circinate.tumblr.com/post/125107660715/so-i-know-how-much-everybody-loves), and I'll copy the prompt itself in the end notes. I just don't want to give away the whole plot just yet haha
> 
> That said! This is my first hybrid fic. I love hybrid fics and wanted to give it a try, so I hope you like it! I also love Annie Mac and have never tried writing her in a fic either, so I hope you like her too :D 
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you to my massive cheerleaders who supported me while writing this during nanowrimo and especially thank you to my dearest beta, [Molly](http://becomeawendybird.tumblr.com), and my poor Brit Pick, [KK](http://catfishau.tumblr.com), who kept forgetting she was reading a hybrid fic and reminding me that Pot Noodle is a brand etc etc etc. Without the two of them, this fic would be a massive mess. As it is, I'm sure some mistakes still slipped through, and those are ENTIRELY my own.
> 
> The title comes from "Hey Look Ma, I Made It" by Panic! at the Disco...mostly cause it's a joke with the fic but also cause I'm about 99% sure it would drive Annie crazy to be in a fic named after a Panic! song. hahahaha This is a work of fiction, please don't share it with anyone associated with the band or Annie Mac, etc etc etc. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!

Louis was growing irritated. He was hungry, December had been a long month that essentially ended as a thirty-one day practice in patience, and now that it was past New Year’s he deserved a break. He really did.

And yet, here he was. Standing in what felt like a never-ending line at the supermarket because the check out systems were down. 

Wrapping his tail around his midsection to help warm himself in this freezing cold Tesco, Louis shifted his few items to his left arm so he could pull his beanie down further. It was already middle of winter, why did the shop have to be cold too?

“Next,” the cashier finally called out and Louis rushed up to the till. “Is that all today?”

Louis glanced at the three pre-packaged sandwiches and two Pot Noodles before pulling his wallet out. “Yeah, that’s it.”

He paid for the food, then turned to rush home. He needed at least four blankets, another three jumpers, and possibly another three sets of socks to get even close to warm enough. Right when Louis thought he was home free, the doors opened with a hum and suddenly a man was barreling right into him.

Hissing in surprise, Louis felt the freezing air from outside rush in and blow his beanie off the rest of the way while warm hands caught him by the shoulders to ensure Louis didn’t follow his hat to the floor.

“I’m so sorry,” a deep voice said. 

Louis made sure he’d only dropped his hat, reached down to pick it up, and was dusting it off when he finally looked up.

“It’s alright...mate…” Louis had seen this man before. He was  _ gorgeous. _ He lived somewhere in the area, because Louis would often pass him on the street heading home from the tube or the nearest bus stop. He’d noticed the man was nice to everyone, including hybrids. It was one of the first things about him that caught Louis’ attention when he’d first seen him a few months ago.

And now, here he was. Standing in all his fluffy, curly haired glory in front of Louis, apologising for nearly bowling him over.

“I really am sorry, though. Let me get you a coffee to make up for it?”

Blinking in surprise, Louis looked down at his bag. The sandwiches should probably be put in the fridge, and Mr Green Eyes was just walking in to get to his own shopping, Louis would presume, so he was unsure whether the man meant  _ now _ or was referring to some mysterious future time.

“Ehm…” Louis smartly replied. He was such a stupid cat sometimes. Now this beautiful man would think he wasn’t even able to put together a full sentence.

Putting his hands out, the man said, “Not now, if that’s inconvenient, but I could at least get your number so we could work out a time in the future? Or you could take my card?”

Louis nodded and the man held out a business card.  _ Harry Styles, Woodworking _ was printed clearly along the top.

With one more apologetic smile, Harry waved and made his way further into the shop leaving Louis freezing and alone, still awkwardly blocking the doors.

Confused as to what exactly had just happened, Louis rushed home to finally, blessedly, get warm.

 

*~~***~~*

 

“Louis! So glad you’re home. I was expecting you an hour ago.”

Louis paused in front of his door. He really liked his neighbour, Annie. She was very nice and all, but she also had been bothering him about going on a blind date with her colleague’s son for about a month now and Louis was tired of her nosing about.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, holding up his small bit of food that he was more than ready to finally eat. “Just stopped by the shops on the way home is all.”

“I see,” Annie said. Often when she acted like this, she reminded him of his mum. “I just worry about you when your schedule changes. You’re such a creature of habit, and I know not everyone is as kind to hybrids as they should be.”

He was well aware. It was part of  _ why _ he was such a creature of habit. He would change up his routes home regularly, as well as how he got to work, but otherwise he left and arrived at very close to the same time every day. He liked knowing he would be back in time for the same programmes every night. 

Besides, he’d never really been one for going out much. Especially when he moved down to London where he didn’t really know anyone.

“I know,” Louis said, finally unlocking his door. “But you can see I’m safe and sound, ready for my tea and telly, so you can relax now.”

Louis was excited, thinking he’d got away without her mentioning the possible date, but then her voice rang out.

“You know, my colleague’s son agreed to the date if you were open to it.”

That made Louis freeze. It had always been a hypothetical situation. Louis figured the other guy wouldn’t agree to it, so there was no need to worry. Now, though, it appeared Louis was the only one holding out. Fuck.

“How much information about me does he have?” Louis asked. “Like, does he know about…” He motioned towards where his ears were covered by his hat as well as his tail. The last thing he needed was to finally agree to this date only to get there and learn the man was a twat who held old fashioned views about hybrids. 

Louis wasn’t exactly accustomed to seeing many of his kind in the city, there was a reason they tended to settle down further out in the country. They often preferred the quiet and slower pace that could be found away from the high population centres. That was probably the biggest holdback to hybrids still being seen as lesser despite the fact that laws protecting them and their rights had been passed decades ago. It was hard to change opinion when people weren’t used to seeing hybrids often.

Waiting to see Annie’s answer, Louis studied her face and saw her smile falter.

“Oh dear, I didn’t really think about that,” she said, looking apologetic. “I mean, my colleague knows, and she’s fine with it obviously, but I can’t be sure that her son knows.”

Louis sighed. “Well, if his mum approves that I have to hope that he won’t mind as well.”

“Is that a yes?” Annie was clutching her hands in front of her chest, bouncing on her toes in excitement. 

Rolling his eyes, Louis said, “Yes. Have him send over some possible options for our date and I’ll see if they will work for me.”

Annie squealed and rushed forward to give Louis a hug. When she pulled back she said, “I will pass on the word and I’ll have some possible dates for you soon.”

“Okay, sounds good.” Louis chuckled a little, slowly working his way into his flat. He was craving the warm blankets and his sandwich even more than he had been before. It was insane that Louis had one man offering to buy him coffee and now he also has a blind date set up with another, all happening on the same day. 

“Ooh, I can’t wait to tell her.” Annie’s Irish accent lilted after her as she pranced back down the hall. “From the moment I told her about you and how sweet you are she’s been hatching this plan. Have a good night, Louis!”

Louis closed the door behind Annie and sighed. Pulling out his phone, he saw that there was a text from his best friend.

_ Irish Fuck: You home safe? _

“What is with the protective instincts of the damn Irish?” Louis muttered. He pulled out the sandwich he wanted to eat tonight and dropped what was left in the bag in the fridge, not even bothering to take out the Pot Noodle. He would deal with it later.

He quickly grabbed his warmest, most oversized jumper and his thickest pair of socks, then hopped into his blanket nest that was a permanent fixture on his sofa during winter. Once he’d taken a bit of his sandwich, Louis finally replied to Niall.

_ Louis: Between you and Annie, I swear. I don’t even feel like an adult most days _ _  
_ _ Louis: Yes, I’m home safe and apparently have a date as well as a soon to be free coffee from the guy with the curly hair I’ve told you about before _

Louis sent the messages and then growled a little at himself for telling Niall anything about Harry. He took another bite and sighed. He needed to text Harry, actually. 

But should he do it tonight? Or should he wait? This wasn’t like getting a number at a club or whatever the quizzes in his sisters’ magazines talked about. This was just a nice man buying Louis a coffee as an apology for running into him. 

A nice,  _ attractive _ man.

Before Louis could talk himself out of it, he pulled Harry’s card out of his pocket and ignored the texts from Niall to open a new window. Once he had quadruple checked that the number was correct, Louis started typing a message.

_ Louis: Hey, this is Louis. Not that you know my name, because I was stupid and never introduced myself, but I’m the one you literally ran into at Tesco. I believe you owe me a coffee? _

He was about to start deleting the whole thing, but figured why not show some personality since he’d clammed up entirely at the shop? Closing his eyes, Louis tapped send and peeked to make sure he’d actually pushed the button. 

He had. Excellent. Now, it was time to wait.

Thumbing back over to his chat with Niall, Louis opened it up to find a slew a messages waiting for him. He’d been so focused on texting Harry, he hadn’t even noticed them come in after the first couple.

_ Irish Fuck: Wait, what? _ __  
_ Irish Fuck: A date? With who? _ __  
_ Irish Fuck: And the coffee is with the guy who helped the hybrid with all the kittens on the tube last week? That guy? _ __  
_ Irish Fuck: Haven’t you been wanting to claim him forever? _ __  
_ Irish Fuck: Don’t piss on him, okay? I know that’s what our kind wants to do, but humans really don’t care for that kind of behaviour _ _  
_ __ Irish Fuck: OMG, you haven’t already pissed on him, have you?

Louis sighed. Niall was ridiculous.

_ Louis: Which question do you really want me to answer first? _ _  
_ _ Louis: And of course I didn’t piss on him, I’m not a completely untrained cat, unlike someone else I know _

Just as Louis expected, his phone rang shortly after his last message showed it had been delivered. Louis wasn’t even able to say anything when he accepted the call, Niall jumped right into it.

“I am not untrained, I just knew what I wanted so I claimed it!”

“Oh my God, you’re disgusting. I have no idea how Shawn puts up with you,” Louis teased, snuggling further into his blankets. He was finally feeling warm for the first time all day, and therefore was also getting a bit drowsy. Add in his full stomach, and he was a happy cat.

“Fuck off. He loves me,” Niall said with a sniff. “Anyway. Let’s start with the date. What the hell? You never go on dates?”

“Yeah, you remember how I told you Annie has been trying to get me on a date with her colleague’s son?” Louis asked, picking at the small bits of fabric that had balled up on his blankets. They were so old and soft, he loved them, but that meant he was always picking at where the fabric had worn a bit as well.

Niall remained silent for a moment and then Louis heard him set his phone down. “Shawn! Get in here and listen to this!” Niall yelled. 

Louis pulled the phone away from his ear and rubbed at it a bit before removing his hat. Niall had already put the phone on speaker and he never did have a good concept of how loud his voice could be. Louis’ human ears were not nearly as sensitive as his cat ears, but both still hurt a little after Niall’s yelling.

“What’s going on?” Shawn asked.

“Louis’ going on a blind date cause he’s an  _ idiot,” _ Niall said, making sure Louis more than picked up on the emphasis on the last word.

“Oh, come on. Annie approves of him, he can’t be that bad,” Louis countered. “Besides. It’s one date. I’m going to insist on a very public place, not let him have any personal information about me until I decide if he’s safe or not, blah blah blah. It’ll be okay.”

“Wait, is this the blind date she was trying all last month to get you to agree to? I thought you were completely against that?” Shawn asked, sounding very confused. Louis didn’t blame him. His change of heart was a little out of character for himself.

“That’s what I said,” Niall grumbled. “But now he’s agreed to it, and I don’t know why.”

“Listen,” Louis said, rubbing his forehead. “If my Irish mum approves of this guy and  _ his _ mum knows I’m a hybrid and is okay with it, I’m going to have to trust them on that account. Annie is a good judge of character, so if she thinks it’s okay I’m going to trust her.”

“She hated me when she first met me,” Niall said, sounding affronted.

“See? Excellent judge of character,” Louis said, laughing at Niall’s squawk. “No, but really. You know how protective she is of me. It’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, but she was the one trying for this for over a month. Why the change  _ now?” _

Louis bit his lip and thought about Niall’s question. “Well, maybe it’s because the guy said he was up for it if I was.”

“Oh, great,” Niall said, and Louis could just imagine his hands flapping while his tail started to puff. It always fluffed up when he was getting worked up. “A guy shows the smallest bit of interest in our Louis, and Louis’ ready to go and be his lap cat. Excellent. That gives me incredible confidence in the situation.”

“That’s not what Louis was saying at all, Ni,” Shawn said, soothingly. “Didn’t you hear? The guy was okay with it  _ if Louis was.  _ That alone shows the guy is giving Louis a choice in the matter. I like that wording.”

“But how do you know that wasn’t just how Annie said it?” Niall argued. “This message has gone through a lot of hands before getting to us and it could have got warped like a game of telephone.”

Louis let the two of them bicker for a moment as he chewed on his last bite of sandwich. Tossing the now empty container to his coffee table, Louis took a drink of water, then tucked himself completely into his blankets, only the tip of his tail, his hands, and his head showing.

“Fine, whatever. So when’s the date?” Niall asked, bringing Louis back to attention.

“Not sure yet. Annie said she’d let me know.”

“Okay, well. Keep us updated. We might just happen to be on a date at the same place, same time to make sure someone is keeping an eye on you.”

Rolling his eyes, Louis said, “Yes, Dad.”

Niall snorted and then moved on. “Okay. Topic one done, now what’s this about coffee with your dream man?”

“He’s not my dream man!” Louis argued. “He’s just incredibly beautiful. And kind. And clumsily adorable.”

“And apparently taking you out for coffee,” Niall said. 

“Yes, well. He wanted to apologise. He ran into me, literally, at Tesco earlier.”

“Did he hurt you?” Niall prodded. “Did he make you drop anything? Step on your tail?”

“No,” Louis said, laughing a little. “He made my hat fall off, though.”

Louis could tell Niall and Shawn were having a silent conversation with their eyes the way they did quite often before Shawn asked slowly, “And he wants to apologise for knocking off your hat with a coffee?”

“Yes,” Louis answered defensively. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Oh, nothing,” Shawn said quickly. “Nothing is wrong with that at all, it’s just…”

“It’s just he thinks you’re fit,” Niall chirped.

“What?” Louis laughed heartily. “Yeah, right. He’s just too nice for his own good, as we know from my observances over the past few months.”

“Sure, sure. You’ll be pissing on him soon enough,” Niall said.

“Oh my God,” Louis groaned at the same time Shawn said, “Only if the guy’s lucky.”

Louis’ eyes widened when he heard the indications of their flirtations turning physical. “Okay, that’s enough, I’m hanging up now. Bye!”

He pulled the phone away from his ear and shook his head. They’d been together for two years now, Louis had hoped it would wear off sooner than later, but here he was. Still having to enforce boundaries.

Louis turned on the telly for his regular evening viewing, and let out a little purr of happiness. Nothing quite like the comfort of home.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis didn’t hear from Harry that night. Or the next morning.  _ Or _ the next afternoon.

In fact, Louis had just about given up on Harry ever responding. His anxiety was telling him he’d texted the wrong person or had gone too sassy in his message for someone who didn’t already know him. All sorts of horrible possibilities were running through his head by the time Harry finally  _ did _ respond as Louis was walking up to his door the next evening.

_ Harry Styles: I am so sorry I’m just getting back with you! My schedule is a bit crazy at the moment but I swear I haven’t forgotten and it is so nice to know your name now _ _  
_ _ Harry Styles: I am afraid due to work I don’t really have a free moment until late Friday afternoon, would that work for you? _

Friday was better than Louis had been expecting considering he didn’t think he was ever going to hear from Harry, so he would happily accept the wait if it meant it was actually happening. Louis paused before opening his door to start tapping out a reply, but then realised Annie could corner him again. He’d already agreed to the date, he didn’t want her to try to con him into something else.

Hurrying into his flat to get away from a possible Annie Attack, Louis dropped his things, switched on the kettle for his Pot Noodle, and then started his reply.

_ Louis: Friday would work well for me, I’m out of work at 4. When and where were you thinking? _

Louis practically skipped to his room, threw on his second warmest sweater and the socks that matched the russet colouring of his tail and ears, then slid happily back to the kitchen. Pulling out some tea to go with his Pot Noodle, Louis got more and more lively as he eased into being back home and allowing his excitement to catch up with him.

Harry still wanted to get a coffee with him. For whatever reason, Shawn and Niall were convinced Harry thought he was fit. Even though his schedule was obviously busy, Harry wanted to still make room to see Louis. 

He was far more excited than he should allow himself to be over a coffee date that would likely be a one time thing and nothing more, but he couldn’t help it. This alone was so rare, he couldn’t bring himself to hold back his emotions. He should enjoy the moment while he could.

Louis carried his Pot Noodle to the living room and had just settled down when his phone chimed. 

_ Harry Styles: Do you mind if we meet at the cafe around the corner from the Tesco? We could meet there around 5, if that works for you? _

Louis verified the time and location and settled in for his nightly programmes. He’d been purring without even realising it, only noticing when he saw his tea vibrating in the mug because of it. He had a good feeling about Harry. He somehow just knew this Friday was going to be the start to something more.

 

*~~***~~*

 

“Oh! Louis! There you are!”

Louis turned to Annie and wrapped his tail tightly around his right leg. He’d had a long day and he wanted to sleep for the rest of forever. Or at least until his coffee date with Harry tomorrow evening.

“Hey, Annie. We kept missing each other the past few days.” Louis unlocked his door, hopefully signalling to her that he wasn’t up for a long chat, before she got too settled in.

“I finally have word from my colleague’s son on a few dates that might work for him. Are you ready?” Annie pulled out her phone and tapped it a bit while she kept talking. “He’s a busy lad, so they’re still a few weeks out. Do you need to get your diary?”

Louis opened the door so he could set his shopping down, motioning for Annie to follow him in. “Let me put this away quickly and then you can give me the possible dates.”

“Great,” Annie said with a smile. “Originally, Anne, that’s my colleague, she wanted me to just give her your number, but I refused. I didn’t want her boy to have your number or address before the date so if it didn’t go well he had no way to bother you afterwards. I’m sure he’s a nice boy, but one can never be too careful, you know what I’m saying?”

Louis’ tail relaxed as Annie continued to talk about how careful she was being regarding the date for Louis. She really was being a bit over the top, but he appreciated the thought behind it.

Finally getting the rest of the food put away, Louis leaned against the counter. He took off his beanie, ruffling his hair and ears a bit, then got his phone out. 

“Alright, Annie dear, let’s see if mystery date and I can agree to a time.”

The first two wouldn’t work for Louis because it was during a scheduled trip home to Doncaster. The third would, but it wasn’t for another three weeks.

“Alright. I’ll let them know the date is on for the first of February,” Annie said cheerfully. “I really am excited for you, Louis. His mum is so nice and she only has the best things to say about her boy.”

“Of course she does, what mum doesn’t?” Louis said, smirking.

“Too right! But you know me, I don’t sugar coat words about my little ones.”

“Better get back to them now, too,” Louis said with a smile. “I’m sure they’re begging for their baths.”

Louis was used to hearing their screams of laughter through the walls every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. She’d convinced her partner a regular bathing schedule would help the kids settle down for the baths easier about three months ago, but as far as Louis could tell, nothing had changed.

“God, I fucking hate bath night,” Annie groaned before turning to leave. “Have a good one, Louis.”

Not having energy for anything else, Louis settled in for a cheese toastie for tea and had nearly dozed off without even turning on the telly when his phone chimed.

_ Harry Styles: Can’t wait to see you tomorrow at 5! Don’t forget, it’s a date ;)  _

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis stood in front of Cafe du Payne and rolled his eyes. It was a horrible pun, but it did make him smile a little.

Opening the door, Louis got a rush of warm air and the smell of fresh bread and coffee. Feeling his shoulders loosen and even his tail relax, Louis knew Harry had chosen well for the location of their first date. 

No, their coffee date. Not first date. First date implied there would be more, and while Louis wouldn’t be against that, he was sure Harry had better things to do than to woo a cat.

Louis was about to find a seat to wait when Harry came walking up to him.

“Hey, Louis. It’s so nice to see you again.”

Louis tried not to purr, but the way Harry said his name made everything inside of him light up. He really had to get ahold of himself or this night was going to be a disaster.

“Good to see you too,” Louis finally forced out, with a smile. 

This was exactly why he didn’t do dates. He was horribly awkward when he didn’t know someone, and got too caught up in his head.

“Would you like to order?” Harry asked, motioning towards the counter. There was only a short queue at the moment, but with the time, Louis was sure it would pick up soon. “I’m getting a sandwich too, if you want to get something to eat. I’m more than happy to pay for that as well.”

Louis smiled. “Okay, thank you.”

They quietly stood in line, and Louis perused the menu. He would occasionally sneak a peek at Harry as well, and once or twice even caught Harry doing the same. He felt like a kitten rather than a fully grown cat on a date. It was ridiculous.

Once they’d got to the table, the conversation took off, and Louis fully got out of his head.

“So, wait,” Louis said, laughing. “Your business card said woodworking, but now you’re talking about a bakery and acting lessons?” He hadn’t thought it possible, but in the fifteen minutes since they’d been at the cafe, Louis had grown even more fond of Harry.

“Yes, well,” Harry said, laughing at himself as well, “not everyone can make it as a stage actor. So while I wait my turn, I’m working several odd jobs to make do. The scheduling can be a bit insane and it doesn’t leave me with much free time, but I do what I can to still carve out time to relax.”

Louis hummed and took another bite of his sandwich. He’d always known what he wanted to do and it was a much easier field to get into than stage acting, so he felt for Harry.

“So, I feel like I’ve been doing all the talking. What about you?”

Louis shrugged, “What about me? I’m a pretty boring cat, really.”

Harry wore a small, but Louis thought it was still genuine, smile as he leaned his chin into his hand. He’d also ordered a sandwich and had yet to take more than a bite despite saying he was hungry beforehand. Hopefully that was a good sign.

“I very much doubt you are boring,” Harry said. “What do you do for work? I think I’ve seen you around fairly often before finally forcing you to talk to me, so do you live around here?”

Louis chuckled a little, “You make it sound like you purposefully ran into me on Monday.”

“Maybe I did,” Harry said, cheeks blushing. “Couldn’t come up with another way to start a conversation when it seemed like we were always passing each other and never headed in the same direction.”

Louis’ own cheeks heated up at hearing that. He wasn’t sure what to say. Thank him for doing it so he didn’t have to? Question him on why he’d even thought twice about Louis? Ask if he’d been watching Louis as long as Louis had been watching him? 

Instead, he just gave a smile and then looked down at his partially eaten sandwich and decided to answer some of the questions Harry had asked.

“So, yes, I live just a few streets from here. I think we usually pass each other on my way home from work,” Louis said, catching Harry’s eye and seeing his smirk grow at Louis admitting he’d noticed Harry too. “I work in central London. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’m actually a piano tuner.”

“A...piano tuner?” Harry said, with a confused smile. “That’s what you do all day every day?”

Louis shrugged. “Yep. I’ve got perfect pitch, and since I’m smaller and have fast reflexes, it makes me a natural for the job. I love music, so getting to ensure the pianos sound just right when they’re used is incredibly satisfying.”

“Okay, you have to tell me more,” Harry said, leaning in and continuing to ignore his food and drink. “Where do you find all the pianos that you spend all day tuning?”

As Louis explained how his contractor status is hired out to work on the various pianos in public spaces, business lobbies, and performing arts centres, he felt like he had Harry’s entire attention, and that it was on  _ him. _ Outside of his family members and a very few close friends, he always felt like he had people’s attention until they could ask him about being a hybrid.

Harry wasn’t like that. He’d only glanced at Louis’ ears a couple of times - Louis had left them uncovered specifically to see if they would distract him - but otherwise had acted as if Louis was perfectly normal. It was more of a relief than Louis had realised it would be.

After just over an hour had passed, Harry looked at his watch and cringed.

“I’m so sorry, Louis, but I have to go. I’m meeting my mum and sister for dinner shortly and I’m already running late.”

Louis eyed Harry’s plate with his almost entirely uneaten sandwich. “What was that about being hungry earlier, then?”

Harry froze, halfway through putting his jacket back on and looked at Louis with wide eyes. “Well, I just… See, I  _ was _ hungry, but…”

Louis started laughing, but didn’t want to hurt Harry’s feelings, so he tried to cover his mouth with his hand.

“No, really! But also, I wanted you to feel like you could eat if you were hungry. I mean, we  _ were _ meeting at five, so it made sense if you were, and I didn’t want you thinking you couldn’t just to be polite, and I was more than willing to pay for your meal as well. But then I was worried you would feel self conscious if you ordered food and then I didn’t, so I lied and said I was hungry and didn’t think about the fact you’d see I wasn’t eating any of it…”

Harry finally trailed off and Louis was still laughing.

“You let me keep talking just to see how long I’d go, didn’t you?”

Louis finally let out a loud cackle that had the nice man with the big brown eyes behind the counter looking their way and nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

Shaking his head, Harry finished putting his jacket on. “You’re cruel.”

“Maybe, but I got my answer,” Louis said, smiling. “You liar.”

Harry snorted, but then looked at Louis with an earnest look on his face. “I’d like to do this again, if that’s okay with you?”

Louis smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Good,” Harry said with a smile. “I’ll text you.”

“Okay.” 

And with that, Harry leant over, gave Louis a kiss on the cheek, and then rushed out of the cafe.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis was smiling down at his phone, texting with Harry at such a fast pace he couldn’t bring himself to let himself into his own flat after getting to the door.

Harry was just so ridiculous, is the thing. Ridiculous and loving and self-aware and kind… Louis sighed. He’d passed Harry on his way home from the tube, but it hadn’t been enough to just say hi. Harry had paused long enough to pull Louis over to the side of the pavement and give him a cheeky snog before saying he would call later and continued walking.

It had taken a few minutes of watching Harry walk away and focusing on his breathing for Louis to finish his trek home. Since then, Harry had been sending constant texts as he was able to connect to the WiFi, and Louis sent them back as fast as he could until it was obvious Harry had lost signal again.

There was something thrilling and fun about it.

This was how they’d essentially been spending the last two weeks. It was so much fun and Louis was actually leaving his house occasionally to go on more dates with Harry. 

They’d even started discussing Louis possibly staying the night next time their schedules allowed. Harry was too busy to do anything without planning, and Louis had gone home to visit his family for a bit of a mini-holiday last weekend, so between the two of them it hadn’t happened yet.

It would, though. Louis was going to go crazy if it didn’t soon, especially if Harry kept kissing him like that.

“I was going to come out earlier, but I was curious how long you were gonna just stand there, smiling at your phone,” Annie said, laughing as she stepped into the hall. “Then I got bored of watching you, so I’m interrupting after all. Sorry.”

Louis sent his most recent text, a photo of him making a cross eyed face featuring his cat ears and drawn on whiskers, then looked at Annie.

He could tell she’d got caught in the rain earlier, as her curls were absolutely wild. He liked it when they were like that, a little unruly. It reminded him of her personality.

“So, you’ve got your date with Anne’s son on Friday. His name’s Harry. I realised I don’t think I ever told you that.”

“There seems to be an overabundance of Harry’s at the moment,” Louis said, chuckling at the odds as he leaned against the wall.

“Yeah, well. That’s what we get for living in England,” Annie said with a chuckle. “Anyway, did I give you the restaurant information?”

Louis thought back to it. He’d been so caught up in Harry, he felt like he’d barely even seen Annie lately. “No, I don’t think so. Where are we eating?”

“Well, he asked for some information on you and I happily gave it so-”

“What?” Louis squawked. “Annieeeee! You can’t just give out details about me without asking my permission.”

Annie swatted at his shoulder. “Oh hush up. I’m not giving out personal information, just things that would help the date go smoothly. Like what kind of food you like, if you like to drink or if you’re over-sensitive to alcohol like a lot of hybrids are, that kind of thing.”

Louis sighed and made a face at Annie. “Yeah, alright.”

“He sounds very sweet,” Annie said softly. “He actually wants to make this as comfortable and fun for both of you as he can, I think.”

Louis thought of his Harry - not that he could really call him that just yet, but they were closing in on that point already - and smiled. Yeah. He could take a night off from his own sweet Harry if it meant that Annie would leave him alone about this one after.

“Alright. So what are the details?”

Louis tried to pay attention to everything Annie was telling him and excited for on Friday, But he couldn’t. She kept chatting happily about everything, including the fact she’d actually planned for her partner to be home early so she could help Louis get ready. Louis, meanwhile, was thinking about all the texts buzzing into his phone that meant Harry had WiFi again.

“Okay, you’re completely ignoring me now, so I’ll let you go. Have a good rest of the night, Louis.”

“Sorry,” Louis said wincing. He unlocked the door, called out a “Bye, dearest Annie of the MacManuseseses!” to make up for it, and walked into his flat to the sound of her cackling.

Once Louis had got warmed up and settled with his food in his comfortable little blanket nest, he finally unlocked his phone.

_ Harry Styles: Oh, that is a very attractive kitten right there _ __  
_ Harry Styles: Where do you keep finding these cats on the street and taking them home with you? It’s incredible _ _  
_ __ Harry Styles: Oh shit, I know we were meant to get together again on Thursday, but I can’t now. A friend of mine apparently planned something for my birthday that night.

Louis blinked. Harry had a birthday soon? Had it already passed? 

_ Louis: When’s your birthday? _

Harry sent a grimace emoji followed by a single word. 

_ Harry Styles: Friday _

“Fuck,” Louis sighed as he settled back a bit in the blankets. Friday. The one day of all the days Louis had made plans as of several weeks ago. He couldn’t cancel now. Annie would have his head and never let him live it down. Besides, why would he say he couldn’t go?  _ Oh, sorry, but the guy I’ve kind of secretly been seeing has his birthday on Friday so I can’t go on that blind date anymore? _

Sighing, Louis looked down at his phone.

_ Harry Styles: I’m so sorry, Louis. I’d invite you to come and meet some of them _ _  
_ _ Harry Styles: Buuuuuut my mum is probably going to be there since it was Grimmy who planned it and he’s close with my mum _

Louis’ stomach dropped. Harry had brought up his mum on their second date because he was worried about going further without Louis fully understanding what was going on. 

Apparently, Harry’s mum had very specific views regarding hybrids. When she was young, the legislation protecting them and ensuring their rights were the same as full humans hadn’t been passed yet and she had seen some really horrible treatment of hybrids. She’d had a great friend growing up who was part cat, and they’d been sold into a “relationship” that was non-consensual and abusive, but because hybrids didn’t have rights of their own legally at that time, her friend was stuck.

Ever since then, his mum had been particularly vocal regarding hybrid rights and especially touchy regarding relationships hybrids had with full humans. Harry didn’t think she was  _ against _ hybrid/full human relationships, but he wasn’t sure. Considering she no longer spoke to his great aunt after a benign comment she’d made about a hybrid neighbour, he didn’t want to chance another blow up before they knew if they were serious or not. When the time was right, he figured he would broach the subject, should it come to that.

In the meantime, Louis and Harry were being very careful about the people who knew they were seeing each other at all. The fact that Harry mentioned wanting to invite Louis at all to a party like this made Louis feel like maybe they were on the same page at least on that end, but now Harry’s birthday was on Friday.

When Louis had a blind date with a different Harry. God.

_ Louis: It’s totally okay, Harry. Unfortunately, I have plans on Friday though, so I won’t be able to celebrate with you that night. Maybe we can make up for it on Saturday? _

Louis hated this. Why had he agreed to this date in the first place? He should never let Annie stick her nose into his dating life ever again. He would happily remain a lone cat, snuggling into his blanket nest and watching telly every night. 

Harry replied quickly, and Louis nervously checked his phone. He felt like he was lying, but at the same time he and Harry weren’t exclusive, so it wasn’t like he was  _ obligated _ to tell him what was going on.

_ Harry Styles: Saturday would be perfect. I was able to get the entire weekend off since it’s my birthday, so I have the whole day free to spend with you, if you want. _

If he wanted? Louis absolutely wanted. He wanted to have more than what felt like a few hours here or there so they could actually do more than just have a single meal or watch a film before Harry had to rush off elsewhere or get to bed. An entire day would feel completely luxurious, and really that would be exactly the kind of birthday celebration Harry deserved.

_ Louis: Then you better keep your day free because I’m claiming all of it _

A warmth filled his chest and he almost purred when he read Harry’s reply.

_ Harry Styles: I’m all yours, babe _

 

*~~***~~*

 

“Louis, this place is pretty nice. I want you to dress up a little nicer than just a jumper and your nice jeans.”

Pouting at Annie through the mirror, Louis plucked at the shirt she’d made him put on. It was blue and slim cut and she’d actually bought it for him specifically for this date. It fit him well enough, but it was more snug than Louis liked. He liked baggy jumpers. Sweater paws. Hiding inside extra fabric. 

This didn’t leave him any room to hide at all.

Add to it the fact she had placed him in his tightest pair of jeans with the ankles rolled up, Louis’ tail was curled around his midsection and his ears were nearly flat to his head. He wasn’t comfortable, wasn’t sure he was going to be able to eat on this date, and he couldn’t wait for it to be over already.

“You look great, love,” Annie said, coming up behind him and messing with his hair. “I feel like you could keep your hair soft and down like this or we could make it a little tousled. It’ll still show off your ears nicely, if you want it to, but also be a little different from your usual. I think it’ll look nice.”

Turning around and holding his arms out, Louis said, “Well. Have your way with me, then.”

Annie arched one of her fine brows and smirked. “Oh babe, you haven’t seen anything yet. Don’t test me.”

“You’re scary, I don’t want to test you,” Louis snarked back.

“Perfect. Let’s do this, then.”

Twenty minutes later, Louis was finally free of Annie and in an Uber on his way to the restaurant since her ministrations had cut his time too short for the tube. As usual, the traffic was awful, though, so Louis wasn’t all that sure the Uber saved him any time at all.

Louis said his thanks and climbed out, standing nervously in front of the restaurant. He pulled out his phone to check the time and make sure he wasn’t too late when he heard his name being called.

“Louis, is that you?”

Turning to his left, Louis saw Harry walking towards him, a confused smile on his face. 

“Harry,” Louis said, sounding breathless. He figured it was only fair. Harry looked impeccable. His shirt was partially sheer and showed he had more tattoos than Louis had already seen which was just… completely and eternally unfair. 

And holy shit. No. This was bad. This was incredibly, horrifically bad. Why was  _ his _ Harry here? Louis was meant to be here meeting another Harry, and now his own was going to witness him going on a date with another man  _ on his birthday? _

“Oh, God. Harry!” Louis said a bit louder, coming back to himself a little. He looked around frantically, as if he knew what this other mystery Harry looked like in order to protect this situation from getting even worse. “What are you doing here?”

Did Harry’s cheeks flush a little, or had they been that pink before as well? “Oh, well. I’m here because the plans I said I had? They’re here, actually.”

Face gone a bit lax, Louis squeaked out, “Really?”

Harry nodded. “You too?”

Louis forced a chuckle out, but his tail felt like it was rigid. This was literally worst case scenario. 

“Well, it’s your birthday, so I’ll follow you, I suppose.”

Harry gave a bright smile and, as Louis held the door for him, Louis whispered, “Happy birthday, H.”

Harry’s expression was soft and fond as he gave a soft, “Thank you,” and then approached the hostess stand.

“I’m here for a reservation under Annie Mac?” Harry said, and Louis froze.

“No you’re not,” Louis said, turning to Harry in surprise. “ _ I’m  _ here for a reservation under Annie Mac.”

Harry looked at him quizzically and said, “What? That doesn’t make any sense. Annie is…”

Louis cut Harry off due to his hysterical laughter. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Hold on a minute.”

Harry led Louis over to the side as the hostess watched them carefully.

“Annie is your mum’s colleague, isn’t she?” Louis asked once he’d calmed down enough to get a full sentence out. “Your mum’s name is Anne?”

“Yes,” Harry confirmed, brows still furrowed, causing lines to break out in his forehead. 

Giggling occasionally still, Louis reached up to smooth them out. “Well. It’s very nice to officially meet you, Harry. I’m Louis, Annie’s neighbour. I’m guessing your mum didn’t mention that I’m a hybrid when she was setting all of this up?”

Harry’s eyes were wide, but his smile was growing wider every moment and he shook his head slowly. “No, she didn’t.” Harry’s smile froze and confusion filled his face when he said, “Wait, my mum knows you’re a hybrid? And she still set this up?”

Louis smirked. “Yep. Annie talks about me quite frequently with her, from the sounds of it, and has even shown photos of me watching her kids. Your mum definitely knows I’m a cat.”

“Fuck,” Harry said, laughing into his hands before dragging them down his face. “Well let’s get our table and we can figure the rest of this out, yeah?”

Louis followed Harry back to the hostess, and she warily took them to their table. It was set in a corner and Louis was grateful. It gave the illusion of privacy as they worked out what had happened.

“So you know Annie?” Harry asked, his entire being bright and happy in a way Louis hadn’t seen him before. 

“Yeah,” Louis said laughing. “She’s been my neighbour since I moved down here a few years ago. I think I even told you a little about her? Anyway, she’s been trying to convince me to go on this blind date since late November? Early December? Something like that.”

Harry shook his head. “My mum kept trying to say she had someone she wanted me to meet, but never said more until New Year’s.” Shaking his head, Harry said, “I wish she had told me earlier. Maybe I wouldn’t have had to run into you at the shops to get your attention.”

Louis scrunched his nose. “You’re ridiculous. I do wish I had agreed earlier, though.”

They sat, sipping at their drinks and taking each other in quietly until Harry started chuckling and leaned back in his chair. “I can’t believe this entire time my mum had been trying to get me to go on a date with a hybrid and here I thought I was going to have to hide my boyfriend from her because he was one.”

Almost choking a little, Louis cleared his throat and said, “Boyfriend?”

“Fuck.” Harry winced as his entire face turned a bit pink. “If you think that’s too fast, then that’s okay. But I kind of thought we were on the same page? I mean, we talk every day and I already told you I want you to meet my friends. We wouldn’t need to hide the fact we’re seeing each other now that I know my mum has no qualms with you being a hybrid, and I really don’t want to date anyone else, but I completely get it if you don’t want the title yet. Or ever! We don’t need labels if you’d rather go without and I-”

“Oh my God,” Louis said as he stood up and covered Harry’s mouth with his hand. Laughing, Louis said, “I’ve not heard you talk that fast before.”

“I tend to prattle on a bit when I’m nervous,” Harry said, voice still muffled by Louis’ hand. Louis only pulled it away when Harry licked it.

“You’re disgusting,” Louis said with a laugh as he wiped his hand on his trousers. “And supposedly  _ I’m _ the animal.”

Harry arched his brow and offered Louis a cheesy grin. “I also have been told I act like a child at times.”

Louis hummed. “Not sure I’m very pleased with the idea of my boyfriend acting like a child, but as long as it’s not a constant thing, it should be alright, I would think.”

“Aubergine parmigiana?” the waiter said as he waited for Louis to sit back down again before placing the food on the table.

Louis took his seat and smiled when Harry immediately linked their ankles. When Louis met Harry’s gaze, Harry mouthed, “boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend,” Louis mouthed back.

Once the waiter had left, Harry mumbled, “Happy birthday to me.”

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis broke their kiss and covered Harry’s mouth with his hand, eyes wide, shaking his head fervently. 

“Yes, well, Harry and Louis are around here somewhere,” Anne said as she walked past the bathroom where they were currently hidden. She must have been on the phone because she soon said, “Oh yes, Louis is practically part of the family now! I’m so pleased that Annie’s and my plan turned out so well! They’re perfect for each other.”

Louis pursed his lips to keep from laughing, but the way Harry’s eyes were squinting told him he was having a hard time keeping quiet too. Perhaps if they hadn’t snuck off to the bathroom for a cheeky snog between tea and the film they were going to watch with Anne, Robin, and Gemma they wouldn’t be in this predicament. As it was, here they were, trying to laugh silently in order to not get caught getting a little frisky during a visit to Harry’s mum’s house on Easter.

Once she’d walked further away so she wasn’t likely to overhear them anymore, Louis removed his hand and Harry darted in to lick his cheek.

Pushing Harry away, Louis said, “You are disgusting! Why do you constantly lick me?”

“I thought cats liked to groom each other,” Harry said, dodging the punch Louis sent his direction.

“Fuck off, you know hybrids don’t do that,” Louis said, laughing as Harry pulled him close again before kissing him again.

Louis was easily distracted by Harry’s soft lips and wandering hands, but then he remembered why they had been interrupted earlier. He thought they were going to get caught, but instead he’d overheard Anne’s claim to being the reason they were together.

“Harry,” Louis practically moaned as Harry nipped at his neck. It was making Louis feel so heated, he had to wrap his tail around Harry’s waist in an attempt to keep standing. “Are we just going to let your mum keep believing she was our matchmaker or are we going to tell her the truth?”

“Why would we do that,” Harry mumbled as he worked lower, moving Louis’ jumper down low enough so he could suck at Louis’ collarbones. 

“Fuck,” Louis said, breathily. “Maybe because we don’t want her being cocky when we tell her we’re already bonded.”

That finally got Harry to freeze. “Are we telling her that already?” 

Louis shrugged. “We’ve already held off telling her for almost two months. I know it was accidental, but it’s forever for a hybrid, babe. We don’t break bonds. I know we aren’t engaged or anything, but I thought now was as good a time as any.”

Dazed, Harry leaned back against the sink and pulled Louis with him. Louis nuzzled into Harry’s chest and started to purr when Harry gently stroked his back. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Now’s a great time to tell her.”

Louis smiled and asked, “We’re gonna be letting her believe she’s the reason we got together, aren’t we?”

“Yeah. We are,” Harry confirmed quickly. “It’s probably the only way she won’t kill me for bonding with you so quickly.”

Louis chuckled. “Okay, babe. Whatever keeps you alive.”

Leaning in for one last quick peck, Louis finally pulled away from Harry and started straightening his clothes and fixing his hair. He didn’t want to look completely disheveled when he returned out there, but he could see a red mark blooming on his neck.

“You fucker,” Louis said, swatting at Harry once more before leaving the bathroom. “I’m going to have to go walking down there like a claimed man thanks to your vampiric habits.”

“You are a claimed man,” Harry said through the closed door.

Louis flipped him off despite knowing Harry couldn’t see him, but the cackle Harry let out made Louis smile. He probably knew exactly what Louis was doing.

“Are you boys done snogging yet?” Gemma called up the stairs. “We’ve been waiting to start the film.”

Harry made a choking noise from inside the toilet and Louis closed his eyes for a moment.

“Uh, yes. We’ll be right down,” Louis answered quickly while Harry groaned. Giggling despite the embarrassment, Louis started down the stairs to join his in-laws.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, please leave a kudos and consider a nice comment. And, if you'd like to give an author wings, a reblog of the fic post [here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/181811082761/hey-look-ma-88k-by-lululawrence-im-so) will do exactly that. 
> 
> Prompt: I didn’t think my parents could accept me dating somebody of your gender/race/religion/species, so we’ve been keeping it quiet, but now my mom can’t stop talking about her friend’s next-door neighbor and how perfect they’d be for me and you’ve got some nosy neighbor trying to set you up with their coworker’s kid and how do we tell them we’re engaged without making them think it’s because of their completely uninvited meddling?


End file.
